Kavvanah — The Intention Behind Prayer
Kavvanah (intention, direction of the heart) is what distinguishes genuine prayer from its performance — the difference between words addressed to God and words about God.
Kavvanah (from kavanah — to aim, direct, intend) is the inner dimension of prayer — the orientation of the heart toward God that transforms the recitation of words into a genuine encounter. The Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) states that prayer without kavvanah is like a body without a soul. The Talmud (Berakhot 28b) asks: 'What is prayer for which God shows favor?' And answers: prayer with kavvanah. The minimum kavvanah required is awareness that one is standing before God — everything else is enhancement. The Hasidic tradition took kavvanah to its deepest level through the teaching of hitbonenut (contemplation) — extended meditation before prayer to bring the mind to genuine presence with God before beginning. The Ari (Luria) developed elaborate systems of Kabbalistic kavvanot (intentions) for each word of the liturgy — but the Baal Shem Tov countered that simple, sincere kavvanah by an unlearned person is more valuable than elaborate Kabbalistic intentions without heart.
Prayer without kavvanah is like a body without a soul.
The Mishnah (Berakhot 5:1) records that the early pious ones would pause a full hour before praying to direct their hearts (l'chaven et libam) to God. Maimonides (Hilchot Tefillah 4:15) rules that prayer without kavvanah is not prayer at all — the intention is the essence, not the words alone.
Shulchan Aruch